Eleven 江南体育 students are taking part in the university鈥檚 Brain Health Research Institute Undergraduate Fellows Program for Summer Semester 2025.
The group comes from a wide variety of majors and will spend the summer taking an active role in brain health research while learning about the institute and its operations.
江南体育 State, an R1 research institution, offers top-tier research in many fields and encourages students to get involved in undergraduate research as soon as possible.
The immersive summer program in brain health research includes research-intensive experiences in neuroscience as well as mentoring, skills training and career development support. The culmination of the fellows鈥 experience is a capstone presentation of their research.
江南体育 State Today caught up with these student researchers as they listened to a presentation by Michael Lehman, Ph.D., director of the Brain Health Research Institute, about how research gets funded.
Lehman noted how, since World War II, the United States government has made a conscious effort to fund scientific research to ensure the country remains a leader in research and that federal research grants continue to be the largest support of university research.
He encouraged the students to become advocates for government research funding so that others understand the importance of the availability of research dollars.
It鈥檚 that kind of advice that drew Taylor Dimmerling, a sophomore neuroscience major from Louisville, Ohio, to the program.
鈥淚 think this opens up a lot of doors for the community in science, which is incredibly important,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e have learned a lot about the different types of committees involved in research, such as animal committees and human research committees. I鈥檝e learned about the institute, and it is such a critical tool for students who want to get involved in brain health research.鈥
Dimmerling is working with Ronald Seese, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics and associate professor of biomedical sciences at Northeast Ohio Medical University and Akron Children's Hospital, conducting translational autism research in his lab focusing on autonomic brain networks.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to learning more about the brain and connecting with other students, professors and researchers who are passionate about neuroscience to learn from them,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a great stepping-stone for making connections in the science community.鈥
William Maynard, a sophomore biology major from Green, Ohio, has been working on research with Dinah Qutob, Ph.D., assistant professor of biological sciences. With Qutob, Maynard and his twin brother, Raymond Maynard, who also is a fellow and sophomore biology major, are conducting research to determine if the SOX3 protein undergoes SUMOylation in glioblastoma cells and how it affects its function in glioblastoma brain tumors.
The brothers are classified as sophomores, even though they will be starting their first year at 江南体育 State in August, because they had enough College Credit Plus hours at the 江南体育 at Stark campus to be classified as incoming sophomores in their first year. At 江南体育 State Stark, the brothers met Qutob, who encouraged them to apply to be brain health fellows.
William Maynard said he was interested in the research because it has potential applications in cancer treatment and provides a valuable opportunity for hands-on lab experience. Ultimately, Maynard hopes to work in anesthesia either as a physician or a certified anesthesiologist assistant.
This year鈥檚 fellows include students majoring in psychology, nursing, biology, neuroscience, exercise science, molecular and cellular biology, and environmental and conservation biology.
Punarjai Pratap, a sophomore exercise science major from Dehli, India, is working with Adam Jajtner, Ph.D., associate professor of Health Sciences, where he is studying how cold-water immersion works on recovery and athletic performance.
Pratap said he applied to be a brain health fellow because he wanted to know more about neuroscience and how it helps with exercise and recovery, particularly in athletes.
鈥淚 have learned how the timing of cold-water immersion is best for athletic performance and recovery during my participation in the research,鈥 he said.
Following graduation, Pratap hopes to work as a strength and conditioning coach.
Elise Simmons, a senior psychology major from Cleveland, Ohio, applied to be a fellow because she is interested in the hands-on learning experience that research provides.
鈥淚 signed up to do this program because I have learned how much there is to research and how many fields of study, and I want to help fill that gap in a lot of different fields in neuroscience,鈥 Simmons said.
Under the mentorship of Lee Gilman, Ph.D., assistant professor of Psychological Sciences, Simmons is investigating how salt consumption and stress interact to affect the cognitive performance of mice.
After graduation, Simmons plans to attend graduate school to further her studies in neuropsychology pharmacology, and one day would like to be a university professor and run her own research lab.
The institute's Undergraduate Research Fellowship takes place during the same weeks as the Student Undergraduate Research Experience, and the students take part in both programs simultaneously.
The fellowship program offers weekly one-hour discussions on research topics related to responsible conduct of research, scientific rigor and reproducibility, and communication skills.
Learn more about all of the 2025 BHRI Undergraduate Research Fellows.